The British Royal Navy has carried out new tests integrating combat helicopters and drones during military exercises in the fjords of Norway.
The information comes from the website UK Defence Journal. According to the report, the activity is part of the Tamber Shield exercise, focused on developing joint operations between crewed aircraft and uncrewed systems.
The exercises involved Wildcat HMA2 helicopters operating alongside Puma drones from the 700X Naval Air Squadron. According to the Royal Navy, the drones were used to locate and track fast-moving vessels, transmitting real-time data to the helicopters so they could carry out simulated attacks with Martlet missiles.
The operations took place in the Bergen region of western Norway and also included British patrol boats and fast attack craft from the Norwegian Navy. The training sought to simulate combat scenarios in narrow waters and high-threat environments, including missile attacks against the helicopters.
Around 150 British service members took part in the activity, which also served to strengthen cooperation between NATO allies and the Joint Expeditionary Force in Europe’s far north.
“Tamber Shield has been extremely beneficial. It has allowed us to refine our tactical development, using the challenging fjord environment to simulate realistic threat scenarios, including ambushes and counterattacks by fast patrol boats,” said Lieutenant Pilot Hal Wotton, from 815 Naval Air Squadron.
According to the Royal Navy, the exercise represents another step in the concept of the “Hybrid Navy”, a strategy that calls for greater integration between crewed platforms and autonomous systems in naval operations. The subject has become a growing priority within the British naval force, especially for operations in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
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Photo: Royal Navy. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
